1. Complete-Lee in control Cliff Lee strikes out 5, scatters 3 hits (including 2 infield singles) while pitching complete game as Phillies past host Marlins, 3-0. Lee, who had 2 hits at the plate, hurls 12th shutout of his career. Delmon Young delivers solo homer for 2nd straight game to give Lee the only run he needed. After escaping bases-loaded jam in 2nd inning, Lee didn’t allow runner in scoring position until 9th inning. Phillies send reliever Phillippe Aumont to Class AAA Lehigh Valley. Phillies off on Thursday, then will open series at Washington on Friday.

2. Utley to have MRI Chase Utley may join Carlos Ruiz, Mike Adams on DL after having MRI of rib cage area on Thursday. Utley felt discomfort and burning sensation in right rib side while taking swings in batting cage prior to Tuesday’s game against Marlins. Utley did not play Tuesday or Wednesday.Ruiz goes on 15-day DL and could miss 3-4 weeks with hamstring strain suffered Sunday while running bases. Phillies recall catcher Humberto Quintero. Ruiz, Ryan Howard had MRIs Monday. Howard receives cortisone shot in left knee and returns to lineup Tuesday. Reliever Mike Adams, sidelined 9 days with back strain, officially goes on 15-day DL, retroactive to May 11.

3. Eagles wrap up OTA Eagles finish up OTA on Wednesday. Dennis Kelly play right tackle with first team while first-round draft pick Lane Johnson works with second team. On Monday, RB LeSean McCoy leaves OTA early due to apparent knee discomfort. Eagles coach Chip Kelly sets frenetic paces for full-squad OTAs, with music blaring, clock ticking and players move quickly from one drill. In unusual news from Eagles camp, TE Clay Harbor, WR Jason Avant have spent time working with the defense.

4. Vick: Critics ignorant Eagles QB Michael Vick says critics who say he can’t read defenses “are ignorant and know nothing about football.” Vick, who made these comments during interview on 97.5-FM The Fanatic, also says head coach Chip Kelly has helped solve his fumble issues. Vick, Nick Foles split first-team repetitions Monday during OTA.

5. Heat eke out victory LeBron James scores on layup as time expires in 1st overtime to lift Heat to 103-102 triumph over persistent Pacers in Game 1 of Eastern Conference finals. Paul George (27 points), who sends game into overtime with 3-pointer with .7 seconds left in regulation, drills 3 free throws to put Pacers ahead with 2.2 seconds left in overtime. On Tuesday, Grizzlies rally from 18-point deficit, using 15-2 run at end of regulation to force overtime, only to see Spurs pull out 93-89 overtime victory to take 2-0 series lead. Tim Duncan (17 points) scores Spurs’ first six points of overtime; Tony Parker contributes 15 points, career playoff-high 18 assists.

6. Penguins stomp Senators After falling behind in 1st period, Penguins score 6 unanswered goals to crush Senators, 7-3, and take 3-1 series lead. On Tuesday, Bruins’ fourth line scores twice in 3rd period, with Daniel Paille scoring game-winner with 3:31 left in 2-1 victory over host Rangers, increasing Bruins’ series lead to 3-0. In Tuesday’s late game, Sharks hold off Kings, 2-1, to even series at 2-2. On Monday, Jimmy Howard makes 39 saves and Red Wings score twice in 31 seconds during second period en route to 3-1 victory over Blackhawks, which gives Red Wings 2-1 series lead.

7. Phillies to honor Schilling, Lidge Curt Schilling will be inducted into Phillies Wall of Fame on Aug. 2 during alumni weekend. Brad Lidge will officially retire as Phillie on Aug. 1.

8. Urlacher retires LB Brian Urlacher retires after 13-year career with Bears. Urlacher wad defensive player of year in 2005 and was 8-time Pro Bowler.

9. Luck of the Cavs Cavaliers win draft lottery for 2nd time in 3 years, moving up from third pick to No. 1. Magic drop back to second pick. Wizards jump up from No. 8 to No. 3, dropping Bobcats (soon to be Hornets again) to No. 4. Sixers will have 11th overall pick.

10. Trout hits for cycle  South Jersey’s Mike Trout hits for cycle, has 5 RBI during Angels’ 12-0 victory over Mariners.

(Listen live to PhillyPhanatics.com’s weekly Internet Blog Talk Radio program every Sunday from 6:30-7 p.m. — or call in to express your opinion or ask a question — by calling 1-805-727-7014. To listen to past shows, click on “radio show” on bar near top of this page, then select the show you want to hear.)

WEEKEND RESULTS

Friday
Phillies 5, Reds 3

Saturday
Reds 10, Phillies 0
Soul 61, Orlando 51
Union 1, Chicago 0

Sunday
Phillies 3, Reds 2

LOCAL SCHEDULE

Monday
Miami 5, Phillies 1

Tuesday
Phillies 7, Miami 3

Wednesday
Phillies 3, Miami 0

Thursday
No games scheduled

Friday
Phillies at Nationals, 7 p.m..

Saturday
Phillies at Nationals, 7:15 p.m.
Union at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Soul at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
College men’s lacrosse
NCAA Championships
(at Lincoln Financial Field)

Sunday
Phillies at Nationals, 1:30 p.m.
College men’s lacrosse
NCAA Championships
(at Lincoln Financial Field)

FOR LEAGUE-WIDE SCORES AND STANDINGS, CLICK ON THE LINKS UNDER THE “STANDINGS” HEADING IN THE SIDEBAR TO THE RIGHT, OR IN THE HEADING AT THE UPPER-RIGHT OF THIS PAGE

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Ignorance, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Michael Vick said that critics who say he can’t read defense “are ignorant and know nothing about football.”

To be fair to Vick, here’s his complete comment during an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic: “I’m really tempted right now to just say no comment to that because like I said a second ago, you don’t last 12 years in the NFL not being able to read the defense. Those people who are talking and saying that are just ignorant, and they know nothing about football. Unless they turn on the film and watch my game and see what goes on, then they’ll replace those comments with the right comments.”

As one of those critics, let me say that nobody says Vick can’t read defenses at all; he just doesn’t read them very well. I don’t watch film, although I sometimes watch Eagles games a second time, but some of Vick’s critics are people who watch countless hours of film. I didn’t hear any of them replace their comments with the “right comments” since Vick mad this statement.

Vick also spoke about how Chip Kelly showed him how to protect the football while running with it, so Vick now considers his turnovers to be a non-issue. Well, it’s great that Vick has decided turnovers are a non-issue. But, after seeing Vick throw 24 interceptions and fumble 21 times during 23 games the past two seasons, turnovers are still an issue for everyone else.

And didn’t we hear Vick say something similar about Andy Reid teaching him ball security? Are we to believe that a player who came into the NFL 12 years ago is still be learning how to properly hold the football so he doesn’t fumble so often?

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INFORMATION VACUUM: We’ve heard that Vick is ahead of Nick Foles in the starting quarterback battle. But those who witnessed the OTA that was open to media this week say Foles looked better.

That’s one of the problems with limited media access to practices. Media members – and fans during training camp – aren’t able to make judgments, or are forced to make judgments based on a limited sample size. That’s one of the consequences of the Eagles’ policy restricting access to most practices and OTAs.

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LACROSSE INVASION: This will be a big weekend for lacrosse aficionados in the Delaware Valley. The NCAA Lacrosse Championships will take place at two

The Division I men’s semifinals will take place Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. Cornell will take on Duke (2:30 p.m) and top-seeded Syracuse will battle Denver (5 p.m.). The Division II championship game on Sunday (1 p.m.) will feature Mercyhurst and Le Moyne, with the Division III title game between Stevenson and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to follow at 4 p.m. The Division I championship game will be Monday (1 p.m.).

As if that weren’t enough, the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship will be held at Villanova. North Carolina and Northwestern square off Friday (5 p.m.) in one semifinal, followed by Maryland and Syracuse (7:30 p.m) in the other semifinal. The winners will battle for the championship Sunday (8 p.m.).

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TRIPLE CROWN DROUGHT: Oxbow’s victory at the Preakness extends the Triple Crown drought. No horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed completed the feat in 1978, the third time it was done during the 1970s.

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LOTTERY FEVER? The Sixers’ draft position remains unchanged (No. 11) after Tuesday’s draft lottery. There was excitement in Cleveland, however, after the Cavaliers moved up to the No. 1 position (from No. 3) for the second time in three seasons.

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NO JOY IN L.A.: Los Angeles has the distinction of having perhaps the two most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball. The Angels and Dodgers both spent big money to acquire superstars the past two seasons. As of Tuesday night, the Dodgers were in last place in the NL West with an 18-26 record, and the Angels were 18-27, saved from being in last place in the AL West by the lowly Houston Astros.

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BAD ACTING: I was watching an NBA playoff game Tuesday night when a soccer game broke out. After a hard foul by Spurs guard Manu Ginobili to prevent a breakaway layup in the final 30 seconds of regulation, the Grizzlies’ Tony Allen appeared to writhe in pain while holding his head with both hands.

The only problem is that Allen’s head never hit the floor. He hit the floor hard, but replays showed that his head never made contact with the floor.

Ginobili’s foul may still have been determined to be a flagrant foul, but I was upset by Allen’s attempt to sell a head injury to the officials. I hope the NBA fines Allen, just as it fines players for flopping to draw fouls.

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NEW VOICE: I’d like to officially welcome Gordon Glantz to PhillyPhanatics.com. Here is Gordon’s debut column. Look for more provocative columns from Gordon. I’ve known Gordon for many years, and it’s great to have him onboard.

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HARD TO BELIEVE, HARRY: Did the Phillies really lose three in a row to the Marlins?

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HARDER TO BELIEVE, HARRY: The Phillies are just 1-9 in games pitched by Cole Hamels this season. The Inquirer’s Matt Gelb noted that the last time Hamels threw a pitch with the lead was April 7. Hamels’ ERA in his last eight games is 3.12; his record during that stretch is 1-5.

Hamels is not taking the lack of support as well as Cliff Lee did last season. Hamels declined to speak with reporters after Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Marlins – Hamels struck out 10 while allowing two runs in six innings – and declined again on Tuesday.

Eric Fisher, who has been covering sports for more than 24 years, also is considering not speaking with the media.

Not only did I pick the Heat, Pacers, Spurs and Grizzlies to win their second-round series, but I correctly predicted that three of these teams would reach the conference finals in my preseason preview. I even picked the Heat to beat the Bulls and the Grizzlies to beat the Thunder in the conference semifinals. I mistakenly picked the Nets to beat the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals before the season, but I corrected that error before the most recent playoff round by picking the Pacers to oust the Knicks in six games.

I am on a postseason forecasting roll, going 8-for-8 during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in addition to correctly selecting 10 of 12 winners during the NBA playoffs. Will that postseason roll continue during the NBA’s conference finals?

The Grizzlies and Pacers are both capable of pulling off an upset. Neither team has the star power to match the Heat or Spurs, but the Grizzlies possess a powerful inside game and the Pacers feature a remarkably balanced attack. Both Memphis and Indiana play excellent team basketball.

The Heat and Spurs, of course, each feature a trio of stars. The Heat have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Spurs have Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. But it might be their advantage on the bench that boosts both teams into the finals.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

HEAT (1) vs. PACERS (3)

Heat: The Heat are paced by their big three, but they’ve become more reliant on NBA MVP LeBron James (left) during the playoffs. James is averaging 24 points per game in the playoffs. That a little lower than the regular season (26.8 per game), but it’s less of a drop than experienced by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Wade, who missed one game due to a knee injury, is averaging 13 points during the playoffs, eight points below his regular-season average (21.2). Bosh is averaging 13.2 points during the playoffs, down from 16.6 during the regular season. James and Bosh continue to shoot better than 50 percent from the field, as they did during the regular season, but Wade is down to 45.3 percent. If you concentrate on the big three, Ray Allen (12.2 points, up two points from the regular season) can kill you from outside. Starting point guard Mario Chalmers and veteran Shane Battier, who comes off the bench, are very effective playing approximately 25 minutes per game. A deep bench includes Battier, Allen, Norris Cole (8.8 points), and Chris Anderson (7.0 points).

Pacers: In contrast to the Heat, the Pacers seem to have a different player step up every night. During the Knicks series, all five starters led the Pacers in scoring during a game, with Paul George doing it twice. George leads the Pacers in playoff scoring (19.1 points) and assists (5.0), and he’s second in rebounding (8.3). George Hill, who missed Game 5 against the Knicks due to a concussion, is next in playoff scoring (15.6), just ahead of forward David West (15.5). Center Roy Hibbert is averaging 14 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots during the playoffs. The most surprising player to lead the Pacers in scoring was Lance Stephenson, who scored 25 points and snared 10 rebounds during the series-clinching 106-99 victory over the Knicks. It’s a good thing the Pacers receive balanced scoring from their starters because they don’t get much production off their bench. All of the starters are averaging at least 34 points per game.

How they got here: The Heat swept the Bucks and rallied from a Game 1 loss to eliminate the Bulls in five games. The Pacers beat both the Hawks and Knicks in six games.

Prediction: The Heat, who cruised past the Bucks and easily survived a spirited challenge by the injury-plagued Bulls, better not look past the Pacers, who pushed them to six games in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pacers’ team effort may be enough to offset the Heat’s star power. Hibbert gives the Pacers an advantage around the basket. The problem for the Pacers is depth. Their starters play a lot of minutes, which could cause them to wear down later in the series. A wild card for this series is the condition of Wade’s injured knee. It’s tempting to pick the Pacers to upset the Heat, but the Heat’s bench, rather than their stars, may be the difference in this series. Besides, I’m sticking with my preseason pick. Heat in 7.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

SPURS (2) vs. GRIZZLIES (5)

Spurs: Point guard Tony Parker (22.4 points, 6.3 assists) continues to makes the Spurs go, even if forward Tim Duncan (18.7 points, 9.2 rebounds) is still the team leader. A key to the Spurs’ success may be Manu Ginobili (12.1 points), whose shooting (37.7%) has been inconsistent during the playoffs. Kawhi Leonard (13.7 points, 8.4 rebounds) has increased his scoring and rebounding by roughly two per game compared to the regular season. , Danny Green (10.0 points) has also been consistent while playing 30 minutes per game. Center Tiago Splitter (5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds) wasn’t a huge factor against the Warriors, as the Spurs tried to match their quick lineup, but he will be needed against the physical Grizzlies. are an excellent complement to the Spurs’ three stars. Former La Salle player Gary Neal (9.5 points), Boris Diaw and Matt Bonner could be important players off the bench.

Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are powered by the inside duo (left) of Zach Randolph (19.7 points, 9.3 rebounds) and Marc Gasol (18.3 points, 7.9 rebounds), both of whom are averaging four points more during the playoffs than they did during the regular season. Guard Mike Conley (17.6 points, 7.6 assists), who funnels the ball to the big guys, has increased his scoring by three points per game during the postseason. Defensive stalwart Tony Allen (11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds) has also increased his production during the playoffs. The experience of midseason addition Tayshaun Prince (7.5 points) has also provided a boost.

How they got here: The Spurs swept the Lakers and then withstood a serious challenge from the pesky Warriors to prevail in six games. The Grizzlies lost the first two games to the Clippers before reeling off four straight wins, and then, after losing Game 1, reeled off four straight wins again to upset the top-seeded Thunder.

Prediction: There aren’t any secrets in this series. The Grizzlies are going to pound the ball inside to Randolph and Gasol. The Spurs are going to run their offense through Parker and try to draw the Grizzlies out to the perimeter with their 3-point shooting. How well Conley and backup Jerryd Bayless, who didn’t have to deal with Russell Westbrook (knee) for most of the Thunder series, can contain Parker could be the key to this series. At the other end of the court, the ability of Splitter and Duncan to avoid foul trouble while defending Randolph and Gasol could determine the Spurs’ fortunes. The Grizzlies upset the Spurs in the first round in 2011 as a No. 8 seed, but the development of Splitter and the addition of Diaw, not to mention Bonner, gives the Spurs more bodies to use to counter the Grizzlies’ inside strength. It’s tempting to pick the powerful Grizzlies, but Memphis doesn’t have much of a bench, which is why Prince is playing 33 minutes per night. In fact, Allen is the only starter averaging less than 33 minutes.  Spurs in 6.

The disappointment comes from the two major championship matches. Dolph Ziggler will miss his first scheduled pay-per-view defense of the World Heavyweight Championship due to a concussion sustained last week on Smackdown. Instead of the triple threat ladder match for the title, Alberto Del Rio will battle Jack Swagger in an “I Quit” match to determine the No. 1 contender. And Achilles Heel is not overly excited about the WWE Championship match, with John Cena defending the title against Ryback in a Last Man Standing match.

How can Extreme Rules be a good show when one major title match won’t take place and the other may just be OK?  Because there is a steel cage that will serve as the true main event, and there’s a chance for the undercard to be terrific.

Let’s start with the main event, which features Triple H against Brock Lesnar inside a steel cage. There are wildly divergent opinions on the extremely physical match between Triple H and Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 29. Some thought it was terrific; others found it boring. This time, with their match in the main event slot instead of being sandwiched between the outstanding Undertaker-C.M. Punk match and the highly anticipated Rock-Cena match, as it was at WrestleMania, I expect Triple H and Lesnar to knock this one out of the park. Adding to the quality of the match is the uncertainty of the outcome, although I’d give Lesnar the payback victory.

The Greek god of wrestling doesn’t expect the Cena-Ryback match or the No. 1 contender match to be bad. A “Last Man Standing” match plays to Ryback’s strengths, particularly his power game. Cena’s ability to adapt to his opponents is an underrated skill. He’s had good matches with big powerhouses before – a 4-star match against Umaga stands out in my mind – and I expect him to do the same with Ryback . Cena will take a lot of punishment, but should prevail.

The problem with the Del Rio-Swagger match is the fans may be disappointed it’s not a title match featuring Ziggler. That’s a lot for Del Rio and Swagger to overcome. I expect their match to be good, with Zeb Colter and Ricardo Rodriguez involved in the “I Quit” portion. The only question is whether they can get the fans into their match.

The conventional wisdom is that the top matches make or break a pay-per-view. That was certainly true at WrestleMania 29. But, in this instance, I think the undercard will elevate the event.

Not surprisingly, The Shield, which has been terrific, is involved in two of the undercard matches. Dean Ambrose challenges Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship; Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns challenge Kane and Daniel Bryan for the tag team titles in a Tornado-style match (all four wrestles in the ring at the same time instead of tagging in and out).

Ambrose and Kingston should produce a fantastic match. Kingston has had excellent matches against former U.S. champ Antonio Cesaro and World champ Dolph Ziggler in recent weeks. Ambrose has had excellent matches against the Undertaker and Daniel Bryan. Putting the title on Ambrose would be interesting, especially if Rollins and Reigns win the tag team belts, but I wouldn’t end Kingston’s title reign this quickly. I’d go with a Kingston victory that still makes Ambrose look strong. Either way, this should be a tremendous match.

The Tornado rules tag team match should also be outstanding. Kane and Bryan have developed into one of the best tag teams in WWE history. Seriously. The Shield has produced terrific matches. Although Ambrose will be missing from the equation, Rollins and Reigns provide a nice speed-and-power combination to match Bryan and Kane. I wouldn’t be shocked by a title change. The question would be – if Ambrose doesn’t defeat Kingston – whether all three Shield members would be eligible to defend the belts.

There are also some interesting matches not involving The Shield. Sheamus and Mark Henry square off in what should be a physically brutal strap match; Randy Orton battles Big Show in an Extreme Rules match; and Chris Jericho faces Fandango. Jericho needs a victory to keep this feud going. Sheamus should outsmart Henry and touch all the corners without Henry realizing he’s doing it. As for Orton and Big Show, Extreme Rules is in St. Louis, Orton’s hometown, and we know how Vince McMahon seems to love having wrestlers lose in their hometown.

All of the undercard matches should range from good to excellent. There isn’t a dud in the bunch. Even the pre-show match, pitting Miz against Cody Rhodes, should be good. Rhodes has been on a roll lately, with a string of good matches (especially against Orton on RAW two weeks ago). I would keep his momentum going with a victory over Miz.

Achilles Heel recommends buying Extreme Rules. You might be pleasantly surprised.

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MISTAKEN IDENTITY: TNA has reportedly fined Austin Aries for his conduct after ring announcer Christy Hemme mistakenly introduced Aries and Bobby Roode as Kazarian and Christopher Daniels. Aries backed Hemme into a corner and, as she made the correction, he stood on the ring ropes with his crotch directly in front of Hemme’s face.

There is a question of whether this incident was real or a work. If it was real, Aries deserved to be fined. As a heel, he should absolutely act insulted and berate Hemme. But when he physically backed her into the corner and placed his crotch in front of her face, that was over the line.

If this was a work, it was well done. But I doubt it was a work. First, Hemme isn’t a very good ring announcer. Second, she’s not that good an actress to make a mistake look like an accident. Third, TNA isn’t very subtle. If this were planned, the announcers would have been screeching about Aries’ conduct toward Hemme.

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SLAMMIVERSARY: TNA finally started filling out its card for Slammiversary, which will take place June 2 at Agganis Arena at Boston University.

In addition to the previously announced World Championship match between Bully Ray and Sting – billed as Sting’s last shot at the title – TNA has added five matches. Kurt Angle battles A.J. Styles, with Styles’ loyalties in question; Devon defends the Television Championship against Joseph Park; and Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez defend the Tag Team Championship against Christopher Daniels and Kazarian, Austin Aries and Bobby Roode, and James Storm and a surprise partner. There will also be a surprise participant in the X-Division Championship triple threat match that also includes champion Kenny King and Chris Sabin. Gail Kim takes on Taryn Terrell in a Knockouts match.

Leave it to TNA to have two matches involving “surprise” participants, but Slammiversary looks considerably better than it did one week ago.

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UNPREDICTABLE CELEBRATION: Achilles Heel extends his wishes for a happy 75^th birthday to the “Unpredictable” Johnny Rodz, one of the great mid-card wrestlers in the WWWF in the 1970s and early ‘80s.

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CHAMPIONSHIP JINX:  Only President Obama has had a worse time the last week or two than wrestling’s world champions. Last week the Greek god of wrestling told you about Dolph Ziggler’s concussion and Ring of Honor champion Jay Briscoe’s homophobic Twitter comments. Saturday, it was Combat Zone Wrestling world champion Masada who was struck by misfortune.

Masada suffered a knee injury during Women Superstars Uncensored for Queen and King of the Ring Tournament, which preceded Combat Zone Wrestling’s Proving Grounds card later that evening. Masada’s Proving Grounds match against Jake Crist was canceled, and the CZW champ will have knee surgery.

If I were TNA World champion Bully Ray, I would avoid walking under any ladders and avoid black cats.

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MOVIN’ ON UP:  As Achilles told you would happen, Sami Callihan lost his match against Jessicka Havok on Saturday afternoon and defeated D.J. Hyde on Saturday night. What the Greek god of wrestling didn’t reveal, so as not to spoil the surprise, is that this was likely Callihan’s final appearance for CZW.

Callihan, who has developed into a star on the independent scene, has reportedly signed a developmental deal with WWE.

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TAG TEAM MADNESS: CHIKARA is in Chicago on Saturday for a doubleheader. The afternoon show (1 p.m.) is a 16-team tag team tournament featuring the Young Bucks, The Spectral Envoy, the Batiri, The Colony, The Hearth Throbs and the women’s team of Heidi Lovelace and Saturyne. The evening show (7:30) features Grand champion Eddie Kingston against Archibald Peck and Colt Cabana vs. Icarus.

CHIKARA returns to the Trocadero in Philadelphia for an Internet pay-per-view event on June 2. Icarus will receive a title shot at the Grand champion, the Spectral Envoy will square off with Colony: Xtreme Force in a six-man tag team bout, and Saturyne battles “Mr. Touchdown” Mark Angelosetti.

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LOST CAUSE: Wade Barrett’s loss to the returning Sin Cara on Main Event would have meant more if Intercontinental champion Barrett and then-U.S. champion Antonio Cesaro hadn’t lost about 10 non-title bouts in the last two months.

Whether to view that as a blessing or a curse is the choice of the listener.

One thing is certain – as the Phillies struggle to reach .500 (they are currently 19-22), the way they are going about it is interesting to say the least.

For one thing, a Roy Halladay with an 8.65 ERA and a shoulder which needed surgery is an “interesting” development. Looking more deeply into Halladay’s season, he struck out 35 batters in 34-1/3 innings. The last time Halladay struck out more than one batter per inning in the major leagues was…never.

How about the 4 starts lasting 4 or fewer innings? Then again, how about the complete game against the Cardinals? OK, so it was a rain-shortened, 7 inning complete game. But it came right after Halladay threw 8 innings of 1-run ball at Miami and right before he threw 6 innings of 1-run ball against Pittsburgh.

What about the 9 home runs allowed – one per 3.8 innings. That would translate to 48 longballs if Halladay pitched his typical 200 innings.

Halladay did undergo “successful” surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles, as termed by a statement released by the Phillies. The good news is that he will be cleared to begin throwing a baseball in 6-8 weeks. The bad news is the soonest he will return to a big-league mound is in 3 months.

And that’s if all goes well.

Phillies’ team doctor Michael Ciccotti sounded a cautionary note: “The combination of a rotator cuff injury and a labral injury is a challenging injury for a professional pitcher to navigate through…we remain cautiously optimistic about it. And given the person that he is, the motivation that he has, the dedication that he has, he has all the intangibles that are important in getting someone back. But we’re realistic about it, too, that it is very possible that he is not pitching at the level that he wants or what Phillies fans and his teammates deserve him to be pitching at.”

Here’s a sobering thought – Mark Prior never made it back from his 43-2/3 innings, 38 strikeouts, 9 homers allowed and 7.21 ERA in 2006.

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Interesting times, part II: The Phillies are 1-8 in games started by their $153 million man, Cole Hamels. Hamels himself has a 1-6 record in 2013.

Most say he is pressing to hard to be the #1 starter on the Phillies and live up to his contract.

On top of that, Hamels has gotten poor run support in most games. But it also seems like when he gets the run support, he gives up that many more runs.

Yes, the Phillies have lost 2-0 twice and 2-1 twice in games Hamels has started.

But they also have lost 7-5, 9-8 and 10-4.

In short, Hamels is pitching well enough to lose.

Considering that the Phillies are 18-14 in games not started by their ace – whatever the cause, Hamels needs to start pitching well enough to win.

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Interesting road trip: The Phillies bookended a pair of wins at the beginning (San Francisco) and end (Arizona) of their western trip last week around a 3-game losing skid, to end up with a 4-3 mark on the trip.

Considering that the Phillies had just dropped 2 of 4 at home to the lowly Marlins, including their second 14-2 pasting of the week, a winning road trip was a pleasant surprise.

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Adams to join Halladay on the shelf? Mike Adams was supposed to end the Phillies’ 8th inning problems.

For the most part, he has done just that – though he has not been his usually dominant self this year.

After battling back from thoracic outlet syndrome, Adams now has a bad back, which flared up Sunday while shagging fly balls in Arizona.

Adams disclosed that he would likely get an MRI soon to determine whether he needs to go on the DL or can wait this out.

While Antonio Bastardo (2.08 ERA in 16 apearances) and Justin De Fratus (2 scoreless appearances) have pitched well so far this season, losing Adams would be a tough blow to a team struggling to gain consistency in the bridge between their starters and Jonathan Papelbon.

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Interesting times, part III: The Phillies saved Carlos Zambrano from independent league purgatory by signing him to a minor league deal Wednesday.

Statistically, Zambrano’s 2012 was not far off from Roy Halladay’s, especially when you factor in that the Marlins overall finished with 12 fewer wins than the Phillies last season:

Zambrano 7-10, 4.49 ERA in 20 starts
Halladay 11-8, 4.49 ERA in 25 starts

But in terms of the clubhouse, there could not be a more opposite pair of players.

Halladay is by all accounts a great teammate, who even apologized to Phillies fans for trying to pitch through his problems this season and for how it ended up.

Zambrano, meanwhile, picks fights with teammates (Derek Lee and Michael Barrett quickly come to mind), gets suspended by his own team and in general is a bad dude.

It will be interesting if the Phillies – who right now are riding Jonathan Pettibone and Tyler Cloyd and will eventually get John Lannan back – turn to Zambrano by July 1, when he can opt out of his deal if he is not on the Phillies’ active roster.

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Numbers are the next big thing in sports. Numbers have always been a part of sports, particularly baseball. But technology and computers are helping produce numbers that are changing our games.

Statistical analytics, sabermetrics – or whatever you want to call it – is changing sports. For the uninitiated, analytics is the advanced use of statistics to determine a player’s value. In sports with salary caps (all but baseball), analytics is an attempt to determine a player’s value with regard to expenditures under the salary cap.

Expenditures. Differential. Risk assessment. These are terms that seem better-suited for Wall Street than sports. But these terms are creeping into the sports world as analytics becomes more popular.

The 76ers are the latest franchise to join the analytics craze. With Josh Harris, a Wharton School graduate who was the senior managing director at Apollo Global Management, a New York-based investment firm, as the 76ers’ principal owner, perhaps it was inevitable that the franchise would be run more like a business.

The most recent step was the hiring of Sam Hinkie, an analytics whiz who has been with the Houston Rockets for eight years, as president and general manager. Harris considered hiring Hinkie as general manager last year, but decided to stick with in-house option Tony DiLeo when Rod Thorn began his transition toward retirement.

News stories mentioned that Hinkie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma and earned an MBA from Stanford. When did academic honors become relevant when a team hires a new general manager? Do you know Ruben Amaro Jr.’s GPA? Paul Holmgren’s hockey education seems based as much on his experience with the Minnesota Fighting Saints as his brief time at the University of Minnesota.

But Hinkie is part of the new breed of sports executive. He’s more Howie Roseman and Joe Banner than Holmgren or Amaro.

It wasn’t Hinkie’s jump shot or crossover dribble that caused Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, a bond trader, to hire the 27-year-old Hinkie as special assistant to the general manager in 2005. Like Alexander, Harris’ main business is business. Not surprisingly, he also hired Hinkie.

Hinkie & Harris. It almost sounds like an investment firm. If you listened to Hinkie and Harris during their news conferences, both Tuesday’s official announcement of Hinkie’s hiring and Harris’ end-of-the-season news conference, you could almost forget they were talking about a basketball team.

There spoke of “investing” in players, Andrew Bynum as a “needle mover” and becoming a “steward” of the franchise.

But the language barrier between Sixers management and the fans won’t matter if the Sixers win. That’s a truth everyone involved understands.

So will analytics, the extensive use of data to help people make decisions, help the Sixers win? That depends on how the data is put together and how it is interpreted.

Flyers head coach Roger Neilson, who used video to create some new hockey statistics, was the first one I heard utter a version of a common observation about statistics, saying, “Most people use statistics the same way a drunk uses a light pole. It’s more for support than illumination.”

In other words, the use of tiny webcams in the rafters of Houston’s home arena to record each player’s coordinates 72,000 times per game – a system based on, I kid you not, Israeli missile-tracking technology (Sports Illustrated, Dec. 3, 2012) – doesn’t mean a darn thing if the data the system is gathering isn’t worthwhile or isn’t used properly.

It’s much too early to tell whether Hinkie will use statistics more to illuminate and enlighten or as a crutch to justify decisions. But it was a bad omen when Hinkie said he was impressed that Harris said he would make the decision to trade for Bynum again. “That means a lot to someone like me,” Hinkie said.

Hinkie is impressed that, even though the Bynum trade turned out to be a disaster, Harris respects the process. I would be more impressed if Harris and Hinkie recognized that the Bynum trade was a mistake and, if they had the chance to go back in time, would not make the same mistake again.

Analytics couldn’t reveal that Bynum’s attitude was suspect. Analytics couldn’t reveal that Bynum didn’t always put full effort into rehabilitation from injuries. Analytics couldn’t reveal that Bynum didn’t seem overly committed to playing basketball.

Those are human observations made by human beings. But even if we stick strictly to data, it’s only as good as the people plugging in the numbers and interpreting them.

As I said at the beginning of this column, numbers don’t kill NBA franchises. People kill NBA franchises.

Speaking of numbers, here are some to consider: 34-48. 52-30. 55-27. 53-29. 42-40. 43-39. 34-32. 45-37. These are the records for the Houston Rockets since Hinkie joined their front office.

I have one more number for you: 1. That’s how many playoff series the Rockets won during Hinkie’s eight seasons in Houston. By the way, that’s the same number of playoff series won the Sixers during the same eight-year span.

Sam Hinkie shouldn’t need analytics to know that winning one playoff series in eight years won’t be good enough to keep his job with the 76ers.

An e-mail from George Stephanopoulos. Yes, that George Stephanopoulos, the former high-level communications guru and advisor in Bill Clinton’s administration who parlayed that gig into selling his soul to the devil known as television network news.

To be technical, it wasn’t even from George. The source was his Twitter account, probably run by a 19-year-old know-it-all intern, seeking questions for an interview with Jason Collins that has since come and gone.
There was no need to submit my question.

While the NBA journeyman was being hailed as some sort of combination of the biblical Moses and Jackie Robinson for “coming out” – receiving knee-jerk pats on the back from the White House to pro sports figures to the entertainment industry – my query would be such a killjoy that I would probably be put in a prolonged timeout by my fellow liberals.

Very simple: Why now, Jason? Why now?

The announcement is being heralded as brave, and it certainly is not an act of a coward. It takes some guts to do what he did, so he deserves some props. But there is no need to get too carried away.

Trust me on this. I know better.

I covered the NBA as the 76ers beat writer for a few seasons during the 1990s, providing an up-close and personal view of the dysfunctional circuit. The off-the-record things I didn’t print would rock many a world, and I wasn’t even an insider like a guy from a big paper (although I did travel with the team one season, Larry Brown’s first, providing some enhanced perspective).

In a perfect world, I would have covered the Eagles or the Flyers, but that was not how the cookie crumbled for me.

As it was, I had a great experience in the NBA. I got to interview Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and many others – in addition to spending time with Brown. (Allen Iverson was next-to-impossible to deal with, no matter what media outlet you represented.)

There were loud whispers then about gay players, and not just in the NBA. Athletes in other “major” team sports, such as Jerry Smith of the Washington Redskins, were “outed” when their careers were over.

It really wasn’t a big deal then, and we’re talking about 15 years ago.

Still, if Collins had come out when his career began in 2001-02 with the New Jersey Nets after being a first-round pick, it would have been a bold way to enter a brave new world.

Then, you would be talking about a trail blazer.

Then, you could have hung the badge of courage on him.

Then, you could compare him to Jackie Robinson with a straight face.

Now, after public opinion has shifted to the point that most with more than two brain cells don’t care about issues like gay marriage and adoption, it’s a bit dubious.

Now? Well, it’s just nothing more than a business decision for Collins. A smart one. And by taking it at face value and lauding him to this extent is, well, pretty dumb.

Standing alone as an openly gay player, he is a source of inspiration. But, in another regard, he is part of a larger and uninspiring group.

I didn’t fully realize until I covered the league how many players with onerous contracts getting passed from team to team there were.

I referred to Collins as a journeyman earlier, but that’s being kind. In 13 NBA seasons, this former 18th overall pick only spent five seasons starting the majority of games at center for the Nets before being cast adrift as a deep reserve for five different teams. Despite being force-fed into the starting five the first half of his time in the league, he still boasts laughable career numbers of 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Only in the NBA, with contracts that guarantee jobs until they run out, does this happen. Could you imagine a .210 hitter lasting 13 years in major league baseball?

Personnel people and coaches say nice things, on the record, to keep these guys marketable enough that someone else will assume the burden in a trade. They would counter, publicly, that a player with those stats “does the little things well” and is a “leader” in the locker room. They would point to their defense – you know, like the whopping 0.5 blocks per game Collins has managed to put as a seven-footer – as a plus.

Off the record, you get the truth. They are saddled with the contract so they live with these drifters until it either runs out or they can move him along to another team, usually as a throw-in on a deal where another “journeyman” returns as a throw-in.

The charade lasts until the player’s final deal expires, and then every general manager in the league can make that ceremonial hand-washing gesture and breathe a sigh of relief as players of this ilk either retire or opt to make some bucks overseas for a few more years.

Collins hit that point at the end of this season. He was a free agent, one that nobody would sign if he paid them out of his own pocket or volunteered to play for free.

But, as he has clearly stated, he wants to keep on playing. Who among us wouldn’t want to make major dollars to pretty much sit around?

The solution? Come out of the closet during an era when most people are enlightened enough to not really don’t care about sexual preference, putting a full-court press on the league as a whole (and setting up a gig as a broadcaster down the road).

Now, as a result of his well-timed announcement, he has turned the tables.  If every team passes on Collins, it will look more like collusion born of homophobia and less than what it really is – taking a pass on a player with the ability of a cigar store Indian – to a mainstream media already throwing rose petals at this guy’s feet.

Some team, for the public relations boost alone, will sign him now and make him its 12th man for two or three years, taking a job away from another player – straight or gay, black or white, European or North American, young or old – more deserving of a job.

How fair is that?

Now that’s a question worth asking.

(Contact Gordon Glantz at gordonglantz50@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Managing2Edit.)

The Penguins won both of their overtime games with the Islanders. If the Islanders score in overtime once, the series would have gone seven games. If they had scored twice in overtime, the Islanders would have pulled off a huge upset and the Penguins would be sitting at home.

The Red Wings and Ducks played four overtime games, with the Red Wings winning three of them before finally getting a win in regulation in Game 7. The Bruins won Games 4 and 7 in overtime against the Maple Leafs. The Senators’ overtime victory in Game 4 was a huge turning point in their series with Montreal.

Every game between the Kings and Blues, both in overtime and in the regulation 60 minutes, was decided by one goal. That’s how small the gap between elation and dejection was during the first round.

This is a long-winded way of saying it took some good fortune for me to correctly pick all eight first-round series. In case you missed that, let me repeat it. I was 8-for-8 during the first round!

Ron Opher compiled a 3-5 record during Round 1. He and I both correctly picked the Penguins, Rangers and Blackhawks to win their series. Ron went 0-5 in the series in which we disagreed, but, as I’ve pointed out, one or two goals the other way and we could have finished the first round with identical records.

But fortunes can change from round to round during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Goats can become heroes and heroes can become goats. Similarly, Ron could go 4-0 during the conference semifinals. Considering we only disagreed on one series, I’m hoping Ron goes 3-1.

The following are our previews for the conference semifinals. (Seeding in parentheses)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

PENGUINS (1) vs. SENATORS (7)

Ron’s analysis: The big news in Ottawa’s win over Montreal was not the injury to Canadiens goalie Carey Price. While Price’s absence helped the Senators, it was Ottawa’s extremely physical play – starting with Eric Gryba’s illegal hit on Lars Eller – and coach Paul MacLean’s reaction to it (blaming the passer, Raphael Diaz, in the ultimate “head game”) that established their dominance over the Habs from a very early point in the series. With the Islanders also getting physical and giving Pittsburgh fits, plus the Pens’ goalie troubles, it’s fair to say that Ottawa looks like they are for real and Pittsburgh looks vulnerable.  For what it’s worth, last year’s No. 7 seed in the East (Washington) also beat the Nos. 2 and 1 seeds, so Ottawa has recent history on its side. Senators in 6

Eric’s analysis: The Penguins needed two overtime victories to put away the Islanders in six games. On the other hand, they might not have been in that predicament if not for goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s second consecutive poor postseason. The Penguins better hope that veteran Tomas Vokoun solves their goalie problems. If not, the Senators could take advantage. As I wrote before the first round, Senators coach Paul MacLean has done as good a job as any coach in the NHL. He kept the Senators on track for the playoffs despite a ton of injuries. The Senators are tough and skilled. I’d love to pick them to beat the Penguins … but I can’t do it. Penguins in 7

BRUINS (4) vs. RANGERS (6)

Ron’s analysis: Flip a coin in this series. Both teams are talented, but always seem to make things harder on themselves than necessary.  I picked the Rangers to win the East before the season started, so I might as well stick with them. Rangers in 7

Eric’s analysis: The Bruins almost blew a 3-1 series lead against the Maple Leafs. They required a miraculous rally in Game 7, scoring twice with the goalie pulled in favor of an extra skater to tie the game, and then winning the game and series on Patrice Bergeron’s overtime goal. The Rangers also needed seven games to defeat the Capitals, although they closed out the series with a convincing 5-0 victory in Game 7. Upon closer inspection, though, the Rangers didn’t lose in regulation after Game 1. As was the case during the regular season, the Rangers seemed to round into form just in time. These two defensive-minded teams figure to produce a low-scoring series. In a low-scoring series, I like the team with the better goalie. Rangers in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

BLACKHAWKS (1) vs. RED WINGS (7)

Ron’s analysis: Not only did Chicago play the best hockey of any NHL team during the regular season, but the Blackhawks look just as primed now that the playoffs are in gear. There does not seem to be a weakness on the Hawks. Detroit is scrappy, but it remains to be seen whether they will parlay their good fortune against Anaheim – which they beat 4 times by a single goal, 3 times in overtime – into a roll against the President’s Trophy winners. Blackhawks in 5

Eric’s analysis: As Ron pointed out, the Red Wings sneaked past the Ducks by the slimmest of margins while the Blackhawks handled the Wild in five games. There aren’t many questions about the Blackhawks. The questions are all about the Red Wings. Goalie Jimmy Howard used to be considered a vulnerability for the Red Wings. Now he’s a strength. These aren’t the Red Wings of old, but they still have Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Don’t be surprised if the Red Wings give the Blackhawks a run for their money. Blackhawks in 6

KINGS (5) vs. SHARKS (6)

Ron’s analysis: I said the Sharks-Canucks winner was one and done, and I still feel that way. Sure, San Jose looked impressive sweeping Vancouver, but the Canucks looked like a disinterested team in total disarray and in dire need of an overhaul. Meanwhile, the Kings also won 4 in a row – after spotting St. Louis a 2-0 series lead.  I know Eric likes the Kings to repeat – and I think it’s fair to say that the Stanley Cup Final will be played out between the Hawks and Kings in the Western Conference. Kings in 5

Eric’s analysis: The Sharks were terrific at home this season (17-2-5) and struggled on the road (8-14-2). But how much does a “road” record mean in this all-California series? (And, yes, I know San Jose and Los Angeles are about 325 miles apart.) The Sharks beat a Vancouver team that was accurately described by Ron as appearing disinterested and in disarray. The Kings beat a Blues team that was tough and competitive, and they did so after dropping the first two games. The Kings have a better goalie (Jonathan Quick), the best defenseman (Drew Doughty) and better weapons (including former Flyer Jeff Carter). Kings in 5

This season, of course, there isn’t a second-round series to analyze. There wasn’t even a first-round series to analyze. The Flyers missed the playoffs for only the second time in the past 18 years.

We’ve already dissected the season and determined what went wrong. Young players didn’t develop as expected, defensemen didn’t move the puck well enough and the lack of a reliable backup goalie caused Laviolette to run Ilya Bryzgalov into the ground during this truncated season. And, yes, there were numerous injuries to key players.

The question today isn’t what went wrong. The question is how to improve the team to avoid a repeat of anything close to what happened this season.

Two decisions already have been made. General manager Paul Holmgren and Laviolette will return. The question is what to do with the team’s personnel.

GOALIE

Let’s start with the biggest offseason question: will Bryzgalov be back with the Flyers next season?

Bryzgalov’s numbers this season weren’t impressive. His goals-against average (2.79) ranked 36^th in the NHL. His save percentage (.900) ranked 43^rd. But his numbers must be viewed in context.

Before Steve Mason arrived at the trade deadline, there were only two games in which Bryzgalov didn’t start. Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher each started one game. It also should be noted that Bryzgalov played in front of a relatively poor defensive corps, which was often filled with AHL-quality defensemen. The quality of shots he faced was extremely high. It wasn’t as if Bryzgalov was allowing goals on 60-foot wrist shots.

If it weren’t for Bryzgalov (left), the Flyers may have been dead and buried by midseason. Unfortunately, by riding Bryzgalov so hard during the first half of the season, it appeared that the Russian wore down, perhaps more mentally than physically, and lost a little bit of his edge during the latter stages of the season.

Having said all that, Bryzgalov makes a lot of money. The Flyers signed him to a nine-year, $51 contract. That translates into a cap hit of $5.667 each season. The reduced salary cap under the collective bargaining agreement is $64.3 million, down from $70.2 million this season.

Bryzgalov’s salary takes up nearly 9 percent of next year’s salary cap. Under the new CBA, teams can use the amnesty clause to rid themselves of two contracts before the start of the 2013-14 season. (To buy out Bryzgalov would cost the Flyers $23 million, to be paid out over 14 years, but, hey, it’s not my money.)

Bryzgalov is certainly a prime candidate for the amnesty clause. He makes a lot of money and he’s a bit quirky. His personality doesn’t matter unless it rubs teammates the wrong way. I’m not in the locker room behind closed doors, so I won’t pretend to know if Bryzgalov’s teammates like or respect him.

What I do know is that I haven’t seen enough of Mason to jettison Bryzgalov. Mason looked very good in his seven games with the Flyers, posting a 1.90 goals-against average and .944 save percentage. But that’s a small sample size. Seven games aren’t enough to erase the memory of the sub-par years between Mason’s excellent rookie season (2008-09) with Columbus and his trade to the Flyers.

Recommendation: I was against the signing of Bryzgalov —  or any of the goalies available that year — to a lucrative long-term contract. The Flyers’ team philosophy was that the goalie was only as good as the team in front of him. Subsequently, they would not overpay for a goalie.

With chairman Ed Snider publicly beating the drum for a top goalie, however, the Flyers altered that philosophy by throwing big money at Bryzgalov. As I believed then, and still believe now, the Flyers should not have altered their philosophy unless it was for an elite goalie, such as Henrik Lundqvist, Pekka Rinne or possibly Jonathan Quick.

Having said that, I am against using the amnesty clause for Bryzgalov — unless the Flyers can find a better option in goal. Where could they find a better option? The unrestricted free agent class is unremarkable. The Flyers could bring in Mike Smith ($2 million), the man who replaced Bryzgalov in Phoenix. The best of the restricted free agents are Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky ($1.75 million, but due for a big raise after being a Vezina Award finalist), a former Flyer, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, and Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier. The best bet would appear to be Bernier, a 24-year-old stuck behind Quick, which means the Kings may not want to pay as much for a backup goalie as the Flyers might pay for a potential starter and, therefore, wouldn’t match the Flyers’ offer.

If the Flyers bring back Bryzgalov and Mason, Bryzgalov would only have to play 50-55 games, which should keep him from wearing down. Having two quality goalies is also an insurance policy in case either Mason or Bryzgalov gets hurt.

The ideal situation would be to bring in a younger and, hopefully, cheaper goalie such as Bernier and use the amnesty clause on Bryzgalov. But I wouldn’t do it unless the Flyers find a replacement who is definitely better. Getting out from under Bryzgalov’s contract isn’t worth having a bunch of question marks in goal for the next few years.

If Mason outplays Bryzgalov or if goalie prospect Anthony Stolarz, acquired in the Bobrovsky trade after last season, continues to develop quickly, the Flyers could try to trade Bryzgalov after one of the next two seasons. But I wouldn’t get rid of him now simply to get out from under his salary cap hit.

DEFENSE

There were concerns about the defense entering this season. The concerns were justified.

Much of the concern surrounded veteran Kimmo Timonen. That concern turned out to be unjustified. Timonen may have lost a half-step, although that could have been partially due to the compression fracture in his foot that he played with for at least part of the season, but he was once again the deserving winner of the Barry Ashbee Award as the Flyers’ best defenseman.

The rest of the defense is another matter. As a group, the defense didn’t move the puck well enough, which resulted in the Flyers spending too much time in their own zone.

As I wrote in a Flyers Notebook in April, I don’t hold Luke Schenn or Nicklas Grossmann responsible for the Flyers’ difficulties moving the puck. I place primary responsibility on the defensemen who were supposed to move the puck well.

Let’s start with Braydon Coburn, perhaps the biggest disappointment on a team full of players who experienced sub-par seasons. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Coburn scored one goal and registered four assists in 33 games. He had a minus-10 plus/minus rating and at one point during the season led NHL defensemen in minor penalties. Coburn has three years remaining on his contract at $4.5 million per season. If the Flyers determine that Coburn, 28, will never reach his potential, they should use him as trade bait. Teams are always looking for big defensemen with speed.

Andrej Meszaros (left) also had a disappointing season, mostly due to injuries. Meszaros played just 11 games this season, registering two points and a minus-9 plus/minus rating. With two shoulder injuries this season and the 2011-12 season shortened by a back injury – with a torn Achilles tendon in between – it’s tempting to label Meszaros as injury prone. But the truth is he played in 81 or 82 games in five of his first six NHL seasons. Meszaros, 27, has one year remaining on his contract, which pays him $4 million per season.

Kurtis Foster, Andreas Lilja and Matt Walker are unrestricted free agents who likely will be allowed to walk away. Foster has a strong shot from the point, but his mobility makes him a liability in his own end. On the other hand, veteran Kent Huskins was a steadying force once he was acquired from Detroit. If the Flyers could re-sign Huskins for close to the $750,000 he made this season, he would be worth keeping around as a sixth or seventh defenseman. He’s certainly a better option than Bruno Gervais, who was exposed as a defensive liability (minus-17 in 37 games) when forced to play more than 8-10 minutes per game.

The Flyers have several young defensemen who are restricted free agents. Erik Gustafsson, Brandon Manning and Oliver Lauridsen all are restricted free agents, and the Flyers should re-sign all of them.

Gustafsson settled down as he received more playing time. It would be disappointing if he didn’t make the lineup next season. Lauridsen (6-6, 220) played well during his 15 games with the Flyers, scoring two goals, which is one more than Coburn in less than half as many games.

Recommendation: There aren’t any Shea Webers or Ryan Suters on the free agent market this season. Most of the better unrestricted free agents, such as Sergei Gonchar, are nearing the ends of their careers.

The Flyers could make a run at restricted free agents, as they did last year with Weber. The Blues’ Alex Pietrangelo (23 years old), the Jets’ Zach Bogosian (22) and the Kings’ Slava Voynov (23) are potential targets. It would normally be a no-brainer for teams to match offers to keep young defensemen, but many teams will be scrambling to get under the salary cap, so this year could be a little bit different. At the very least, the Flyers may be able to leverage a trade with a team struggling to get under the salary cap.

Timonen, Schenn and Grossmann should definitely be back. Schenn and Grossmann are physical defensemen making $3.6 and $3.5 million, respectively, for each of the next five years.

I would bring back Meszaros, who has one season left on his contract at $4 million. If healthy, he adds a different dimension to the Flyers’ defense. He moves the puck well and has a very good shot from the point, leading to deflections and rebounds. If Meszaros plays well, the Flyers can re-sign him. If he gets hurt again, the Flyers can let him walk after next season.

The Flyers should try to trade Coburn. Big defensemen who can skate as well as Coburn don’t grow on trees. If the Flyers determine he will never reach his potential, they should trade Coburn, which also would remove $4.5 million – money he certainly isn’t earning right now – from their payroll for the next three seasons.

Lauridsen (6-6, 220) doesn’t have the tools to replace what Coburn should be doing, but he looks as if he can at least match or exceed what the Flyers are getting from Coburn at a far lower price. Gustafsson also appears to be ready for a regular role in the NHL.

My projected defense for next season would be: Timonen, Schenn, Grossmann, Meszaros, Gustafsson, Lauridsen and Huskins. That’s better, but it’s still not good enough. Acquiring a mobile defenseman in a trade, possibly involving Coburn, or signing one of the young restricted free agents would provide a necessary upgrade to the defense.

FORWARDS

Let’s start with the easy move: the Flyers should use the amnesty clause and buy out the remaining two years on Danny Briere’s contract, which pays him $6.5 million each of the next two seasons.

Briere (left)  is a class act and a terrific teammate. But he scored just six goals in 34 games after scoring 16 last season. He was minus-13 in plus/minus rating, worst among the Flyers’ forwards. That production doesn’t justify one-third of Briere’s salary.

The Flyers also have several free agents who will be allowed to walk away. Mike Knuble and Jody Shelley, another pair of class acts, may retire. That’s a combined $1.75 million in salary. Ruslan Fedotenko and Adam Hall, acquired at the trade deadline may also be allowed to walk away as free agents, although Hall ($650,000) is a decent fourth-line center/wing.

The most interesting of the Flyers’ unrestricted free agents is Simon Gagne. The 33-year-old veteran appeared to have something left in the tank after being acquired from the Kings at midseason. Gagne produced five goals and six assists in 27 games after not scoring at all for the Kings. If Gagne would agree to a significantly lower salary than his current $3.5 million, the Flyers may bring him back next season.

The Flyers certainly want Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds back next season. Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier experienced sophomore slumps, but I think the Flyers want both players back next season unless they’re blown away with a trade offer. Maxime Talbot is a good value at $1.75 million, assuming he recovers from a broken leg. Matt Read, Tye McGinn, Zac Rinaldo and Jay Rosehill all make less than $1 million apiece per season, so there’s no reason to trade any of them unless their inclusion is needed to complete a trade.

One name to watch is Scott Hartnell. The engaging winger has six years remaining on his contract, with a cap hit of $4.75 million per year. Hartnell, 31, had eight goals and three assists in 32 games. If the Flyers decide Hartnell will never approach his 2011-12 season (37 goals, 30 assists) again, they may try to trade Hartnell.

The free-agent crop is not stellar. Among players 30-and-under, the best options are Devils right wing David Clarkson, (age 29, $2.67 million salary), Red Wings wing Valtteri Filppula (29, 23, $3 million), Kings wing Dustin Penner (30, $3.25 million), Rangers wing Ryan Clowe (30, $3.625 million), Bruins wing Nathan Horton (27, $4 million) and Canadiens wing Colby Armstrong (30, $1 million).

Potential targets among restricted free agents include Edmonton center Sam Gagner ($3.2 million), Penguins wing Tyler Kennedy (26, $2 million), Wild wing Cal Clutterbuck (25, $1.4 million) and Devils center Adam Henrique (23, $854,166).

The Flyers also have players such as Scott Laughton, who started last season with the Flyers, knocking on the door to make the roster.

Recommendation: This may not be a popular option with fans, but the Flyers’ success at forward depends heavily on the development of young players such as Schenn and Couturier. But that doesn’t mean there should be any changes.

I would use the amnesty clause on Briere and try to trade Hartnell. Those two moves would remove $11.25 million off the salary cap, although the players the Flyers would get in return for Hartnell would use up some of his salary space.

The following forwards/centers should return: Giroux, Voracek, Simmonds, Schenn, Couturier, Read, Talbot, Rinaldo, Rosehill. I’d like to see Gagne return at a reduced salary. The Flyers could sign Clarkson to replace Hartnell. Colby Armstrong wouldn’t be a bad third- or fourth-line addition. McGinn and Laughton should compete for roster spots as well.

SUMMARY

The conventional wisdom is the Flyers need an overhaul. I don’t see that happening, and I’m not sure it should happen.

There aren’t many prized players in this summer’s free-agent class. That means the Flyers’ most likely method of improving is through trade. In order to trade, however, you need trading partners.

The first step is to get under the salary cap by using the amnesty clause for Danny Briere, but, unless they can pry Jonathan Bernier away from the Kings, not for Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers should also try to clear cap room by trading underachieving high-salaried players such as Braydon Coburn and Scott Hartnell, both of whom have multiple years remaining on their expensive contracts.

Otherwise, the Flyers must hope that their younger players, both on offense and defense, continue to develop.

Using my recommendations, the Flyers will be relatively young next season. Timonen and Huskins would be the only defenseman not in their 20s. Among the centers and wings, only Gagne would be in his 30s, and most of the players, including Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds, would be 25 or younger.

The Flyers must also keep one eye on the next offseason, when Giroux, Brayden Schenn and Couturier become restricted free agents and Matt Read becomes an unrestricted free agent. Timonen will likely retire, freeing up $6 million under the salary cap. The Flyers could also let Andrej Meszaros ($4 million) leave as an unrestricted free agent.

It should be an interesting offseason. We’ll see if the Flyers follow my plan or have something different in mind.

(Salary information courtesy of www.capgeek.com)